


The Christmas Ball

by AmaliaIR



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:18:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaliaIR/pseuds/AmaliaIR
Summary: After the war, Draco Malfoy helps Hermione Granger feel hope again. 7th Year AU. One-Shot





	The Christmas Ball

Hermione was patiently kneeling in front of the fireplace, sighing as she looked around the office. She wished she had paid more attention the last time she was in here when this still was Dumbledore's office. She could barely remember what it looked like, and now it belonged to Mcgonagall and not surprisingly, it was a lot less whimsical.

"This place looks really different," A voice commented out of nowhere and she jumped slightly. She turned to the fireplace to see Harry's head greeting her.

"You scared me. I thought I still had about five minutes," She smiled sadly, which was the only way she knew how to smile these days. Harry returned the smile.

"Aren't I always early?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, always, how could I forget?" She said sarcastically and Harry laughed a little.

"Where's Mcgonagall?" He asked, trying to look around the office.

"She left, told me she would let us speak in private, though I don't really know why. Where's Ron?" She asked in return and suddenly Ron's head popped up next to Harry's.

"Hello there. How's it going Hermione?" He greeted her smiling genuinely, which she appreciated.

"Like always, except quieter. My responsibilities as Head Girl are pretty slim with so few students, so I've been helping teachers with some classes and tutoring. It has helped me realize I don't want to be a teacher, though. How about you two? Are you being good Auror students?" She asked and Ron shook his head.

"We're not 'students' Hermione, this isn't like school. Though, they do make us read a lot," Ron complained.

"I've missed Hogwarts, but we have learnt quite a lot. Um Hermione, this isn't what we wanted to talk to you about, and we don't have much time until we have to go to class again," Harry tried but Ron interrupted him.

"It's not class! We're going to train!" He exclaimed.

"Alright, alright, we have a training session in like ten minutes, so we wanted to ask you if," Harry tried again but this time Hermione interrupted him.

"Don't, Harry. I know you're going to try to convince me again, but I've already decided. I'm staying," She shook her head and stared at the ground.

There was an awkward silence as Ron and Harry looked at each other and then Ron cleared his throat.

"We just want you to be with us, and everybody else too. Mom's already started planning everything she's going to cook, says she wants to make her biggest feast yet and will need all the help she can get," Said Ron with a less genuine smile this time. Hermione nodded.

"I would really like to be there too, but I don't feel too great to be honest and I don't know if I'm ready…" She trailed off.

"You've been by yourself since school started, we miss you, you know," Harry explained and she nodded again.

"I miss you too. Maybe after the holidays I can ask Mcgonagall for a weekend off duties and we can meet at Hogsmade. It'll be the three of us, just like old times, yeah? Right now is just not the best time for me. I'm sorry," She lamented and they both nodded slowly.

"I really am sorry. Please tell your mom I will make it up to her. And that the Christmas feast the elves cook is nothing compared to hers," Hermione looked at Ron and he smiled again.

"Sure. Say hello to Hagrid from us. We'll try to send him a present. You too, of course. Look out for it. Mine will be badly wrapped," Ron commented and Hermione let out a small laugh. Ron always made her laugh.

"Take care of yourself, Hermione. And floo us anytime you want, I'm sure Mcgonagall won't mind," Harry said.

"I will. Take care too and say hi to everyone for me. I love you both," She waved and smiled.

"Love you too!" Ron exclaimed and disappeared from the floo.

"Bye, Hermione. Don't be too hard on yourself, yeah?" Harry told her before smiling and disappearing too.

Hermione sighed and dropped her head back. Upside-down, the office looked a lot more like Dumbledore's. The door opened and Mcgonagall walked in.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" She asked and Hermione straightened herself and stood up from the wooden floor.

"Yes. Just a little tired. I think I'll head to my room now. Thanks for letting me use your floo, professor," She hurried and tried to leave.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Hermione," Mcgonagall began and Hermione turned around to face her. The professor usually used her first name when she wanted to talk to her as a friend, rather than a student or Head Girl.

"This year has been hard for all of us. I'm sure you've noticed that the atmosphere isn't exactly festive, with so little students staying over and the teachers still shaken by recent events…So, as a headmistress, I've decided that we all need a little holiday spirit. Wouldn't you agree?" She asked Hermione and she considered for a moment.

"I suppose. It wouldn't hurt anyone. But it isn't exactly easy, it isn't like nothing's changed. Everything's changed," Hermione pointed out.

"Indeed. But that doesn't mean we can't try to cheer up. It'll be good for the few of us staying over to have some fun instead of letting the holidays pass unnoticed in front of us. So, I've been planning a little Christmas party," Mcgonagall smiled at Hermione, but Hermione couldn't help but frown.

"A party?" She asked.

"Yes, well, more of a ball. Everything is set. Some friends of Hagrid's from Hogsmade will perform the music, although that wouldn't have been my first choice but nobody else seemed to be available and they only ask for some firewhiskey as payment. I wanted to announce it tomorrow morning at breakfast as a surprise to the rest of the students. But I thought maybe you'd be happy to hear the news first. I know you don't particularly care for surprises," Mcgonagall explained and sat down behind her desk, looking expectantly at Hermione, who remained frowning.

"Are…are you sure this is a good idea professor?" She managed to ask and Mcgonagall nodded.

"I thought about it a lot. I'm not usually one to believe that forcing happiness on people is necessary or even appropriate, but I realized this is something that Albus would have liked. He would want us to let out hair down, to forget about the war and the loss and enjoy some dancing. He always loved dancing," Mcgonagall said a little sadly, but smiled nonetheless.

Hermione looked up to see the portrait of Albus Dumbledore sleeping soundly on his frame. She nodded.

"You decided to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays for a reason, Hermione. I'm not going to ask you why. I will just advice you not to be alone too much. I know you really enjoyed the Yule Ball. Try to enjoy this one too," The old professor said.

Hermione forced a smile. "I'll try. Thank you, professor," She turned around to leave.

"Call me Minerva. But not in front of the other students," She smiled knowingly. Hermione nodded before waving and closing the door behind her.

She walked briskly to her room, not paying attention to the few people that crossed her path, mostly younger years. She finally made it and locked herself in before collapsing on her bed. It was still early, but to her the day was over. It was hard enough to pretend to be happy on regular days, but now she was going to have to go to a ball and be festive? She groaned out loud.

Luckily, she had the room to herself since everybody went home for the holidays. It wasn't that many people anyway, but she appreciated the silence and calmness. That's why she decided to stay. Ever since the war, everything was so loud to her, all the time. It was overwhelming having to deal with everyone who was directly or indirectly affected by the outcome of the war, because even though the won, they lost so much. Everyone had a different story about the events that happened to them, or to a friend, or a friend of a friend and each story was more horrible than the other and she couldn't deal with it anymore. She was hardly dealing well with her own stories and losses, she couldn't manage everyone else's.

So she decided to stay and be alone, or as alone as possible. The Weasley's weren't as overwhelming as everyone else, but she had her own stories regarding them, and it hurt too much to even think about remembering everything again. It was too soon. Besides, it would only make her think of her parents and how this was the first holiday she would experience without seeing them even once. She started to feel that familiar pounding in her head that would happen every time she thought about her parents. About how they were lost, but only to her. To them and everyone else they knew, they were exactly where they were meant to be. They weren't desperate or sad or suffering. They were happy. And somehow, that made everything worse.

Hermione had never known what it was like to feel hopelessness. Even during the most difficult times, she always knew there was a way out. And she would continue to look for her parents, her entire life if she had to. But there was something awfully unnerving to her about returning to her regular life, her studies and her world, when she hadn't found her parents yet. She tried to continue her search, but Mcgonagall and the newly appointed Minister of Magic, Shacklebolt, convinced her to go back to school and let the ministry pick up where she left off. And now she was here, at Hogwarts, studying like nothing had happened and it made her feel so useless.

Every night she thought about leaving. Every night she had to convince herself to stay.

Hermione woke up the next day in the same clothes she had on last night when she locked herself up in her room. She felt groggy and heavy, but she dragged herself out to the bathroom anyway.

When she made her way to breakfast, the castle around her felt unusually big and empty, and not a soul was to be found in the halls. She was probably late. Not that she cared; she already knew the big 'surprise'. She sighed and entered the Great Hall. Mcgonagall was already standing up and giving her holiday spirit speech, so Hermione sat down at her table and starting spreading butter on her toast, trying to mute out everything around her.

"Assistance to this ball will be mandatory. I do not want to hear any excuses; we are all part of Hogwarts and it needs us, as much as we needed it right now," The professor's voice echoed in the hall.

Hermione made herself tea while she tried to make out what the two younger girls in the Ravenclaw table across from her were saying. Either they were really excited for the ball, or really scared. She remembered what it was like to be in 4th year and having all kinds of doubts about yourself and whether you'd get invited to the ball or not. Thank Merlin she had gone through that already. Who needed a date for some stupid school dance, anyway? It only complicated things as far as she was concerned. She would show up alone, make a quick appearance, chat up with the professors and then leave as early as possible without no one noticing. She even knew what she would wear already.

The two girls suddenly gasped and stared at each other in terror. Hermione stood up straighter and tried to remember what Mcgonagall had said that made them do that. She had lost herself on her thoughts.

"Hey, you, yes, you!" She whispered to the girls trying to get their attention. They turned to face her.

"What did the professor said? I wasn't listening," She asked and one of the girls grimaced.

"She, uh, she said that whoever doesn't get a partner for the ball by the end of the week, would have to have one assigned to them…by her," The girl said nervously and the other one nodded.

Hermione frowned and looked up at the professor, who in turned smiled politely at her.

A date, chosen by one of the professors? That was just humiliating! Why would they do something like that? Surely, Mcgonagall wouldn't do that to her. She groaned and the two girls seemed to be uncomfortable around her. She drank her tea with two big gulps and stood up from the hall.

Her feet took her to the library without hesitation. She just wanted to be alone again. Not even five minutes she spent on that hall and it made her want to go crawl into a hole again.

She picked up a random book and sat at the last table in the far corner. Now on top of everything, she had the pressure of having someone to go to the ball with. Again. It made her re-live all that self-doubt and anxiety she used to have every day. The last year has made her grow up a lot and much of that stuff went away when she was out there with Ron and Harry, trying to survive, finding horcruxes and dueling with dark wizards. It gave her a new sense of purpose and confidence and she had hoped it would stick around after the end of the war. But no. Apparently, she was just an ugly, bookish, twelve year old again.

What if nobody asked her? What if she had to stand up in front of everybody while Mcgonagall paired her up with someone? What if she was the only one without a partner in the entire school and there wasn't even someone to pair her up with?

She was quietly freaking out while pretending to read a giant book. Her hands began to shake so she put the book down and tried to breathe. She closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply for a few seconds. It would be alright, she told herself. She would just find someone. Someone maybe in the same situation as her. There must be someone, anyone that would go with her, even if she had to ask him herself. She tried to think of anyone that had stayed for the holidays and was remotely close to her age, but her mind was blank. She would need to make a list of appropriate partners and check with them by the end of the day, before they found someone else.

Her breathing had regulated and her hands steadied. She opened her eyes again, only to see Malfoy, of all people, standing at the door of the library, right across from her, and looking in her direction. She frowned for a moment but then looked down at her book. It was about first-year Transfiguration. Perfect. Just what she needed. Malfoy making fun of her. Why was he here anyway? He never went to the library that she knew of. And shouldn't he be at home with mommy and daddy? Or maybe just mommy, since daddy Malfoy was probably sitting in a cell at Azkaban right now.

Hermione looked up from the book to see Malfoy slowly approaching her. She really didn't have the energy for this. She stood up and marched towards the door, hugging the book she was pretending to read. Malfoy had stopped walking and was watching her with a mix of confusion and disdain. Just as she was moving past him, he called her name.

"Granger," He drawled.

Hermione stopped and met his eyes, trying to copy the look he was giving her.

"Malfoy," She said in the same tone.

He raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at her up and down.

"Is there a problem?" She asked.

Malfoy was frowning and focusing on her chest. Not her eyes, her chest. Hermione would have blushed if he wasn't being so ridiculously obvious and offensive. She stepped away from him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, her jaw almost dropping from the nerve of him. And his eyes still wouldn't leave her chest!

"Are you…are you reading A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration?" He asked and Hermione looked down to see the book she was holding up against her chest. Oh.

"I…I mean I was but…" She hesitated and he laughed. Actually laughed at her. She started to blush then.

"What happened, Granger? Thinking of going back and doing it all one more time for fun? Maybe they'll even let you get sorted again!" He mocked and she spun on her heel, red in the face and furious. As she sprinted away from the library, she could her Malfoy's laughter fading away.

By the time she reached the portrait hole, her eyes were filled with tears. She looked around to see if there was anyone else in the common room but she couldn't find anyone, so she threw the book across the room and collapsed on a couch, crying and rubbing her face with her hands.

Why? Why now? Malfoy hadn't bothered her since school started again, he hadn't even acknowledged her and now he was back at it again, making her feel inadequate and out of place, just when she was trying not to feel all those things. Because they weren't true. She knew Malfoy was and will always be wrong, but she couldn't help feeling not good enough, again and again. It was pathetic, really, how much those stupid words could affect her so much.

She should have cursed him. At least threatened him. Ron would have done it for her. But she needed to start defending herself from pricks like Malfoy. Hermione tried to calm herself down in case anyone saw her. She wiped her cheeks and dried her eyes with her sleeve. Right then, she promised herself she would blow Malfoy's tedious smirk off his face the next time he went anywhere near her.

The next day, Hermione was feeling much better. That day, students were allowed to go to Hogsmade to buy presents for Christmas, so she was feeling really good about walking around the village, getting some fresh air and clearing her mind. She had prepared her shopping list weeks ago and was really excited about looking through the new collection at Tomes and Scrolls. And maybe she would sit at some café and work on the list of partners for the ball, before it was too late. Every time she thought about the ball, she wished Harry, Ron, Neville or even Seamus were here. It would be easy going with someone in her own house and year and she wouldn't have to get all nervous. She sighed. This was her own damn fault for deciding to stay.

She walked outside the castle doors and waited for the rest of the students. As Head Girl, she was leading the group to Hogsmade and letting them know of the rules and schedules for the visit. Anthony Goldstein, the Head Boy, had gone home for the holidays, as there wouldn't be much work and Hermione could handle it by herself. There would only be about 25 students total, so shouldn't take long.

Eventually, everybody made it, including Mcgonagall, Hagrid and Slughorn, who never missed a Hogsmade visit. As she was reading over the rules, she noticed Malfoy staring at her from behind the younger students. She ignored him but started to feel angry again, from yesterday's events.

"That's it. So if you'll please follow me…" She finished and turned around, starting to lead the way to Hogsmade.

The village was beautifully decorated, and the streets filled with people walking, talking, eating and laughing. It was a great sight, and Hermione started to think maybe some holiday spirit wouldn't hurt her.

"Alright, I'll meet you all here at five o'clock. Don't be late," She called to the group and left without looking back. She went directly to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. The last time she had been to Hogsmade before the war, she had gone with Ginny, and her friend had absolutely adored one of the quills there. It was a limited edition, broomstick-shaped quill with a mahogany body and a special feature that made it fly around the house when you hadn't used it for a long time, therefore reminding you to write. It was specially designed for young writers who needed practice. Hermione only hoped it was still there to get it for Ginny. It was a bit expensive, but her friend had told her she had begun to write short stories and articles, mainly about Quidditch, and this would be perfect for her.

After getting the quill for Ginny, she got some magical hair-pins for Mrs. Weasley (won't let your hair get messy) a new beater's bar for George (and spent 15 minutes trying not to think about what she would have gotten for Fred) and a pair of magically enhanced glasses for Harry. She had thought about this gift for a while now, since Harry always got in trouble and there was so much 'reparos' a pair of glasses could take, she had had these delivered from a specialty shop in Diagon Alley and finished them off herself with some of her own spells. They should last him about a year without a scratch and they would only come off if he specifically means to remove them.

She had already gotten Mr. Weasley a microscope from the Muggle world, as well as a Muggle game of Twister for Luna. So now she headed to the book shop to get Ron's and Neville's presents, and to spend at least an hour looking through the place. It was quiet, warm and it smelled wonderful of books and scrolls, so she dropped the bags next to a big chair and began reading.

Eventually she got Ron a book about the history of Aurors and defense in the Magical World, and 'The Unexplored Magical Wonders of the Amazon Rain Forest' for Neville, plus 4 new books for herself. She was feeling lightheaded with contentment. She looked around the busy street deciding where to go to get something to drink. She thought maybe she'll try and see if Aberforth Dumbledore was around for a chat, so she went to the Hog's Head.

The place was almost empty, because the regulars usually dropped by when the sun went down, so Hermione went to the bar where a mean looking man was cleaning glasses.

"Hello, I was wondering if Aberforth was here?" She asked the man but he shook his head without looking at her.

"Oh, well, I'll have a butterbeer, then. Thank you," She placed some money on the counter and the man stood up to fetch the butterbeer.

She sat on a table by the window and got started on her list for a potential partner.

The most obvious thing would be a 7th year Gryffindor like her, but that was impossible. So the other 7th years would be Wayne Hopkins in Hufflepuff, Terry Boot in Ravenclaw or Goyle and Malfoy in Slythering. This was going to be harder than she thought.

She wrote down the names and put a little asterisk next to Terry's name because he would be the best choice out of all the 7th years since she had never talked to Wayne, and then she proceeded to list the 6th years, who were more in number but she really didn't know all that well for this. She sighed and wondered where could Terry Boot be right now.

The bell on top of the door rang, announcing a new costumer, but she was busy trying to remember the name of that annoying 5th year in Gryffindor who wouldn't stop asking for her autograph last month. The chair next to her moved and next thing she knew, Malfoy was sitting in front of her.

She froze for a moment just looking at him, but then her hand found her wand and she was gripping it tightly.

"Please don't make me send you away by force. Just leave peacefully," She told him slowly. He had that awful smirk and she remembered her promise to herself about what she would do to that smirk.

"I don't want to go, Granger. I'm here to tell you something," He stated matter-of-factly and leaned back comfortably in his chair.

"Oh, yeah? About what? My books? Or my hair? Or maybe my blood? You're too predictable Malfoy, just let this one go," She thought she saw him flinch for a second when she said 'blood', but it was gone.

"Nope. Your books were old news yesterday, your hair clearly speaks for itself, and I'm done with your blood," He said like it was the most normal thing ever.

"You're done with my blood? What do you mean by that? You know I could send you to Azkaban so fast, your dear father won't understand what crashed into his cell, alright?" She didn't remember standing up or pointing her wand at him, but she had and now the few people at the pub were looking at them. Malfoy looked up at her, his eyes almost like slits and he slowly stood up as well, eyeing her down now.

"My father is not at Azkaban, as hard as that might be for you to believe and I'm not scared of you, Granger. Lower your wand and stop making a complete fool of yourself," He whispered very calmly and sat down again.

"Your father is not…he…I thought…" She tried to say but her mind couldn't wrap around the fact that they had let Lucius Malfoy go.

Malfoy shrugged. "It's not widely known. And when I said I'm done with your blood, I meant I don't care about it anymore. That's what I'm here to say,"

Hermione was looking at him and frowning, without being able to move, but Malfoy was staring through the window. What?

"Are you going to sit?" He asked, nodding at her chair.

"You just came to tell me that you don't care about my blood anymore?" She asked in return and he nodded once, clearly uncomfortable.

"Alright. So, what? Why should I care about that?" She questioned him impatiently because she still didn't understand what he was doing here.

Malfoy was biting the inside of his cheek now and looking at the table.

"Alright, forget it. I'll leave," He stood up again but it was too late now.

"No, you stay and you tell me why you came to say that because it's obvious there's a reason," She claimed and he just looked at her again. His face was set in stone, his jaw tight and his brows drawn together.

"I don't know why you should care. I don't even care if you don't. I just thought I should tell you that because it's true. And I don't think you or anyone else knows that," He confessed through gritted teeth.

Hermione was frowning again. "Well, you can understand why, can't you?" She asked, her defenses still up but relaxing, because as weird as it was, he didn't seem to be a threat right now.

Malfoy nodded but didn't say anything else. Hermione nodded too and then sat down. Malfoy remained standing and seemed to be debating whether to leave or not.

"Are you going to sit?" She repeated his question from earlier and he shrugged.

"I don't need your pity, Granger," He said while looking down at her.

"Okay," She nodded and took a sip of her butterbeer. Neither spoke for a minute and Malfoy continued to stand.

"What's the list for? Are you handing out holiday detentions?" He suddenly asked, looking down at her list. Hermione immediately blushed and placed her hand flat over the list.

"No. It's other Head Girl stuff," She stammered and Malfoy continued to look at the list, even though she was trying to cover it. He squinted and then frowned.

"My name is there. I saw. What are you going to do with that?" He pointed accusingly at the piece of paper.

"Nothing, just leave it, alright?" She looked at him warningly and he looked back with questioning eyes. They had just entered an implicit competition to see who would back down first and she was not going to let him win this one. Just because suddenly he doesn't care about blood purity doesn't mean she trusted him.

After a full minute, Malfoy made a sudden move that made Hermione jump and he landed his hand on the corner of the list on the table. Hermione's jaw dropped as she tried to hold on to the list.

"Don't! Let it go! Malfoy!" She cried but it was too late and Malfoy pulled the list from under her hand and started reading it. Hermione shot up to stand and tried to reach for the list but Malfoy turned to the left as he finished reading. Hermione stood frozen, looking down at the floor, her face red and her eyes closed as she waited for the humiliation, again.

"Potential Partners For The Ball? Is this serious?" He asked in disbelief but she continued to look down.

"Just hand it over Malfoy, this doesn't concern you," She mumbled.

"It certainly does, if you're going to write my name on it," He replied and she sighed loudly.

"It's not what it looks like. I just wrote down the name of everybody in our year. Why else would I put you and Goyle there?" She motioned at the list and he dropped it back on the table.

"I don't know about Goyle, but, off the top of my head, I think people would be impressed to see you with me," He pointed out and she lifted her eyes to see he was smirking again.

She scoffed "Please, you? Why would I go with a ferret? If anything, it would look great for you to go with me," She grabbed her list and stuffed it down her pocket and sat down again.

"Great? They might think I've gone completely insane. And sorry to disappoint you, but you should cross out Boot from there, he's already going with Hannah Abbott," He said while sitting down.

"How do you know that? And I'm not disappointed, I just thought he'd be okay," she corrected him and he scoffed this time.

"That's a great reason to go with someone. 'Okay'. And, I have my way of knowing things. Hopkins is going with Romilda Vane. Goyle is waiting to see who Mcgonagall pairs him with. Rebecca Smith is going with that annoying Jimmy Peakes," He grimaced at the end.

"Jimmy Peakes! That's his name…" She trailed off. "Alright, if you know so much, who are you going with? Pansy isn't here to take you on her pedestal," She smiled and took another sip of her butterbeer.

He looked at her dangerously again. "What do you care? I wouldn't go with Pansy anyway. You're the one who made a list. Are you afraid no one will ask you, Granger?" He snatched her butterbeer and took a long sip.

"Hey!" She reached and took it back.

"What? You're not going to drink it now, are you? It's got my germs," He mocked and she looked at the bottle.

"You're right, you take it. I'll get a new one," She gave him back the bottle and left for the bar.

When she came back he had finished her butterbeer.

"Why aren't you with your parents?" She asked when she sat back down.

He lifted an eyebrow. She knew that was a personal question, she just couldn't see why would Malfoy, who used to be daddy's boy and never stayed over the holidays, would refuse to be with them, especially after the war.

"If your father isn't at Azakaban, why are you here? I'm just curious," She explained herself.

"Why aren't you with your parents?" He repeated, leaning forward.

She shot him a death glare and he shrugged. "It's the same, isn't it? I'm just curious,"

"No, is not the same. Your parents are back at your house; my parents are lost on some Australian town," She blurted out and then looked down at her hands. She didn't know what made her say that, but it was too late to take it back.

"Why are they lost? Muggles got that machine thing that flies them around countries, no?" He asked, unaware that Hermione just confessed something only very few people knew.

She shrugged. "I sent them there at the beginning of the war so they'd be safe. And in case something happened to me, I made them forget me so they wouldn't suffer. Now I can't find them and they don't even know they're lost," She explained and drank more butterbeer.

Malfoy had an odd expression on his face. He made an acknowledgment sound and then stood up and walked away. Hermione didn't look at him, but felt completely stupid for telling him the whole thing. She should have known he wouldn't care. If anything, it'd be something to use against her later.

But Malfoy hadn't left, and he sat down seconds later with two bottles of butterbeer. He handed one to her, even though she still had a bit left.

"Thank you," She replied and he nodded.

"I'm sure the Ministry can help you find them, if you ask," He told her, looking straight into her eyes.

"I did. They're already on it, but nothing. I wanted to go to Australia but they convinced me to stay here," She took a sip of the butterbeer and started playing with the label.

"I'm sorry," He said and she lifted her head to look at him. He wasn't smiling, he didn't look sympathetic or comforting or any of the things she'd been used to. But he was solid, unmoving and real. He didn't flinch as he looked into her eyes, as if trying to find something there, and she thought she might know what. The longer he stared, the more she could see, he wasn't just saying sorry for her parents. He was trying to ask for her forgiveness, for the thing's he'd done. Not the silly stuff like making her teeth grow, but for the worst. For his part in a war that made her lose her parents.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Thank you," And then she smiled in a way that would make him see that she understood.

Finally, Malfoy broke eye contact and drank more butterbeer.

"So, why aren't you with Potter and Weasley, then?" He asked. She knew this question was coming.

"Oh, I just felt like staying this year. It's going to be the last, anyway," She lied, but only a little. She was going to miss Hogwarts so much.

"I'm surprised you can function without them. But I'm even more surprised they can function without you," He said and she rolled her eyes.

"They function just fine. And I can function perfectly well too," She responded and he scoffed loudly.

"I can see that. That's why you need to make a perfectly structured list about which boy is more suited to take you to the ball, instead of staying relaxed and see what happens," He commented sarcastically and she blushed slightly.

"I just wanted to go with someone acceptable, as opposed to leaving it up to chance like your friend does. What happens if I end up with Goyle? I'd rather attend the ball with Slughorn, thank you very much," She said with as much dignity as she could and Malfoy actually laughed out loud. She had made him laugh.

Or maybe he was laughing at her. Either way, he wouldn't stop laughing. His eyes were shut, his head thrown back and his upper lip shining with the butterbeer he didn't wipe before cracking up.

"What?" She cried accusingly. "Stop laughing! What's so funny?" She tried not to smile but it was impossible. She had never seen Malfoy do this.

"I just…" He mumbled between laughter. "I just cannot stop imagining Goyle's face if Mcgonagall actually announces he's to go with you…" He laughed some more. "He'd absolutely piss his pants!"

Malfoy continued to laugh for a while and then began to calm down, and Hermione could do nothing but stare with a smile. She was so confused.

"Why would he piss his pants?" She asked when he looked fit enough to answer.

"Why? You scare him shitless! He's terrified of you," He stated and drank more butterbeer.

"Terrified? I don't understand," She was frowning now and Malfoy shook his head.

"I don't either. Maybe he thinks you're going to send him to Azkaban. But every time he sees you nearby he begins to sweat and talk about how much he hates you. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe he fancies you," Malfoy said, raising one of his eyebrows and tilting his head to the side.

Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it. Goyle fancies me!" She laughed some more.

"You laugh now, but when you have to dance with him, it won't seem so funny," He said.

"What? I'm not going to dance with him! I'm going to ask someone else today, and even if I don't, there is no way Mcgonagall would do that to me," She retorted.

"I wouldn't be so sure, maybe she won't have another choice. What if you and Goyle are the only two people left?" He asked, smirking.

"That's impossible. The ball was only announced yesterday," She shrugged and sipped her butterbeer.

"If you say so. Although, as far as I'm concerned, everybody that could be remotely our age, has already partnered up. But you know, you've got your list," He mentioned sarcastically.

She squinted her eyes dangerously. "You know, you never answered my question. Who are you going with?" She asked and he contemplated her for a moment before answering.

"You never answered mine, either. Were you afraid no one will ask you?" He asked back and she sighed.

"Boys aren't the only ones allowed to ask, Malfoy," She replied.

"I haven't seen a girl ask a boy to the ball yet, but you're the great Hermione Granger, you can do whatever you want, don't you?" He mocked waving his hand.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Malfoy. I bet you don't want to answer my question because you don't have a partner," She accused him. Malfoy only stared at her for a moment and then left without a word. She followed him with her eyes to the bar as he asked for more butterbeer. It suddenly hit her that she was having a pleasant conversation with Malfoy. A little weird, but pleasant nonetheless. It felt surreal, like she was in an alternate universe, or like maybe Malfoy had an identical twin who wasn't a complete idiot. But this was him and this was her and it felt unbelievable.

When he came back with two more butterbeers, he looked positively cheerful. If Hermione didn't know better, she'd think he was getting a buzz from the butterbeers. His smirk was back on and his eyes were gleaming with mischief.

"You know, Granger, you were right," He declared and she frowned.

"I was?" She asked curiously.

"Yes. I don't have a partner for the ball," He confessed and Hermione smirked knowingly. "But, neither do you," He finished his sentence.

"Of course I don't, but I will at the end of the day. Can you say the same?" She asked, leaning forward.

"Maybe. I propose a bet," He challenged her with his eyes.

"Why would I accept a bet with you?" She asked him and he leaned forward as well.

"Usually, people bet because if they win, it's beneficial for them," He whispered in a confidential tone and she caught herself before she could smile.

"Alright, what's in it for me?" She asked. He was so close she started to feel self-conscious about her face and freckles, but she wasn't going to show fear in front of him.

"If you find a partner for the ball by the end of the day, I'll be forced to go with…Goyle." He grimaced as he said his name and Hermione leaned back on her chair, laughing.

"Alright, alright, calm down, you're not going to win!" He complained after she wouldn't shut up.

"Oh Merlin. I have to remember to bring my camera to the ball," She said after calming down.

"It won't be necessary, I assure you," He lifted an eyebrow.

"Okay, you're on, Malfoy," She extended her hand for him to take and he frowned.

"Granger, do you even understand bets? That was just your side. I haven't told you what happens if I win," He grinned. Oh, right. That Goyle thing had been so hilarious she hadn't thought about that.

"If you don't get a partner by the end of the day…you have to go with me," He proposed and her jaw dropped.

"What? Why? Why would you want to go with me?" She asked in disbelief and he just shrugged as he drank his butterbeer.

"I told you, Granger, everyone else is partnered up. And to be honest, you aren't the worst choice among the 7th year girls that stayed behind," He said confidently.

"Oh wow thank you great Draco Malfoy, that makes me feel so special," She said sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes "Says the girl who made a list of every boy in school and compared them to each other. How do you think Terry Boot would feel if he knew you just chose him out of convenience?" Malfoy asked defiantly and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Maybe he would have found me convenient too!" She defended herself.

"Well, I find you convenient. Maybe if they see me with you at the ball, everyone will stop believing I'm the incarnation of the Dark Lord himself," He said annoyed.

"Maybe you should stop calling him 'Dark Lord'. And why do you care so much about what everyone thinks of you? I wouldn't have pegged you for the type," She couldn't believe it was Malfoy she was asking this to.

"Because, Granger, this is a new world order. I grew up among supporters of the Dark…Voldemort. And they made me believe everyone else was wrong but us. But they were progressively fewer and fewer people who honestly believed muggleborns were inferior, and by the end, most of them were just pretending to believe in blood purity out of survival. Like me. Even if had wanted to, I couldn't just say it was all lies, with Voldemort living in my bloody house. I wouldn't be here to tell you this. And now, it's obvious we were on the wrong side of history, and that means I have to get on the right one. But nobody will let me. I have been trying all year to talk to the few Slytherins who weren't involved with Voldemort, but they all hate me. And every time I do so much as look at someone from another house, they run away. And what do you think it's going to happen when we leave Hogwarts? Jobs, proposals and recommendations are going to pour all over you, but It'd be hard for me to get even one internship and my father has contacts literally everywhere. Right now, it's very important what people think of me,"

Hermione didn't expect any of that, but it made sense. And up until now, she thought he and everyone else on Voldemort's side deserved it.

"I know you probably don't believe we were faking believing in blood purity, and there were many that weren't, especially the oldest ones, or the craziest ones like my aunt Bellatrix…" He trailed off as he looked at Hermione's arm. That was one of the worse memories she had buried inside her, and he had witnessed all of it. His eyes focused on hers then and she tried not to look sad or scared.

"But…but for me and many more it had been a game that went too far and we wanted out. My mother cried herself to sleep every night, Pansy tried to escape once and they locked her up without food for a week, my father…well my father is barely a person anymore. And I know it was our fault to begin with but…it wasn't easy either," He confessed and looked down, probably embarrassed for sharing too much.

Hermione decided to be bold and without thinking too much she reached out and placed her hand on Malfoy's arm. He looked at her hand for a moment and then up at her. She took her hand back.

"I'm sorry," She told him and he shook his head.

"Don't be, you're the only one stubborn enough to talk back at me and not just ignore me," He said.

"When have I ever been scared of you, Malfoy?" She joked and he smiled.

"So that means you accept the bet? Because you're not scared, right?" He smirked and she considered him for a moment.

"Deal. But you have to get Goyle flowers," She offered him her hand.

"Okay. But you can't choose a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year. And it has to be a boy," He stated.

"Who do you take me for? That's obvious!" She cried and he shook her hand.

"Good luck, Granger. Oh, and I know you were really excited about Slughorn, but teachers aren't allowed either," He joked and she faked laughing.

"Get him some yellow tulips, I'm sure Goyle will appreciate it," She joked back.

They both stayed in silence for a while, finishing up their butterbeers. Hermione was trying to think of a way of asking someone to the ball. Maybe she could use her Head Girl status as an excuse.

"Granger?" Malfoy interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She asked casually.

"Weren't you supposed to meet the students at five?" He said, pointing at the clock on the wall behind her.

She turned around and realized…she was half an hour late.

"Oh no…oh, this is all your fault!" She claimed while standing up and picking up all her bags.

"My fault? I'm not Head Boy, you're supposed to be the responsible one," He stood up too, looking incredibly smug, and walked over to the door, holding it open for her.

She then realized, people were going to see her leave a bar with Malfoy, and be civil to him.

"Thank you," She said as she walked past him and he nodded. He stood frozen for a minute, just looking at her. Her breath caught in her throat and she suddenly felt very agitated. A shiver ran down her spine and she couldn't get her feet moving.

"I have to leave, I want to get there before the Head Girl does. She's always late," He said in a conversational tone and then walked past her, leaving her at the door and not looking back.

"I am never late!" She complained and followed him, trying to catch up.

Hermione spent the rest of the evening running around the hallways and grounds of Hogwarts, asking each and every boy if they already had a partner for the ball. She told them Mcgonagall had made her ask so it wouldn't be as embarrassing for her, but it still had been. Everyone seemed to have a partner. Malfoy was right and she hated to admit it. And now she had to go with him. Enter the Great Hall with Draco Malfoy. Holding his arm. Dancing with him. With everybody looking, even the professors. The rumors were going to be wild. She wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the night even Harry and Ron would know. They were going to lose it.

But apart from the inconvenience and the annoyance of having to deal with literally every person in school, she didn't mind that much. Ever since he came to talk to her, she had decided it wouldn't be so bad to talk to him again. He was nice after removing all the hate and lies and blood elitism he was known for. And he genuinely didn't seem to hate her or mind her at all. Maybe he had really changed.

She gave up trying to find a partner by midnight and technically he had already won the bet, so she went to her room. She tried to go to sleep but her mind kept repeating the events of the day, over and over again. It was so strange how much she enjoyed all the time she spent with Malfoy. She hadn't laughed that much in a very long time. She hadn't enjoyed someone's company for months and this was all with the last person she would have imagined. So, who cares if anyone thinks it's weird or bad? She was allowed to have a friend and she was allowed to help someone who clearly wanted to do the right thing.

She was just helping Malfoy, really, and it wasn't that bad. She didn't need to feel guilty or confused. And she really tried not to feel excited for seeing him the next day. She really tried.

The next day Hermione was eating breakfast in the Great Hall when he walked in. She saw him and smiled, and he smirked and walked to his table. No one noticed the interaction, but for some reason, she kept feeling like she was doing something terrible and that it should be kept a secret. She continued to eat but after a while she started to feel anxious. She left the table and walked over to the entrance, and just before walking out, she turned around slightly and locked eyes with Malfoy, who was staring at her, and she tried to send him a meaningful look. She then walked towards the grounds. She left the front door open so Malfoy would see where she had gone.

She sat on one of the benches and cast a warming charm around her. Why was she so nervous? And why did she want to see him this badly?

After a couple of minutes, Malfoy was approaching her. He was shivering until he sat and the warming charm engulfed him as well.

"Yes?" He asked after a while of her not saying anything.

"I, um…" She tried to think of what was it that she was supposed to tell him.

"You didn't find anyone," He completed the idea for her and she nodded.

"Yes. Unfortunately for Goyle, I couldn't find a partner. So, you win," She accepted and he smirked.

"Hermione Granger, losing to Draco Malfoy. It sounds great, doesn't it? Can you imagine Weasley's face when he learns you went to the ball with me? I hate to say this, but I actually wish he and Wonder Potter were here to see it," He smiled even brighter.

"Well, I wouldn't. I don't want to deal with them and you on the same night," She sighed.

"There's nothing to deal with, Granger. I'm a great partner for a ball. You'll see. I promise I won't make fun of your hair for the entire day," He extended his hand to seal the promise and she took it. He was warm and she completely forgot what the appropriate amount of time for shaking hands was, so she pulled hers back too quickly.

They stayed like that for a while, contemplating the scenery quietly. She started to feel uncomfortable, like maybe she should go, and then he spoke.

"You know, I thought a lot about something you said yesterday, about your parents, and I can't shake it from my head. Because you did what you had to do to keep them safe, even though it was very hard for you, and it's really unfair that now you can't have them back. Everything I did back in 6th year, I did it to keep my parents safe, even though it wasn't the right thing to do, it was with only one goal in mind and eventually, I did it, I kept them safe and they're with me despite all the shit we did and it's really not fair that you were on the right side and did everything you could to help others and you still don't have your parents with you. And I don't understand how you handle it, because if it was me, I'd be outraged all the time and they'd have to hold me back with chains to keep me from finding my mother myself. I'm not saying that's what you should do, I'm just saying it makes me really mad to just imagine it and I think it makes you a really strong person," He said calmly, but with an edge on his tone, that made her understand how serious this was to him.

Every word Malfoy spoke hit her unexpectedly and without realizing it, her eyes were filled with tears. She tried to turn her face the other way to hide from Malfoy but he had already noticed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I can leave if you want," He said while standing up.

"No, you don't have to. I'm sorry. Thank you," She mumbled, trying not to sob.

Malfoy sighed and sat down. "For making you cry?" He asked.

Hermione took a deep breath and dried her eyes. "No. For saying I'm strong," She replied.

"You are," He smiled a little.

"You are too," She smiled back and they remained next to each other like that for a little longer. And when her warming charm was wearing off, and she scooted over closer to him, she could swear she saw the faintest blush on his pale cheeks.

The next day Hermione spent hours in her room trying to decide what to wear for the ball. The dress she had already picked out now seemed boring and predictable. The ball was the next day and suddenly she was feeling really nervous. A couple of days ago she couldn't care less if everything got cancelled, and now she was anxious about every little detail.

She knew Malfoy liked nice clothes and cared a lot about appearances but she never thought she'd care. And she shouldn't. She shouldn't care and she was trying not to. But every time she thought about walking down the stairs and having him waiting and looking her up and down, her stomach hurt. She knew she had developed a little crush on Malfoy but it was only because he was the only meaningful interaction she had had in a very long time. So she shouldn't let something this silly break her. She was not going to change everything about her just for a boy.

No. She had decided she was going to wear the dress she had initially chosen and not do anything too fancy with her hair. If he didn't like it, he shouldn't have done that ridiculous bet.

Besides, it was just Malfoy. She wasn't going to let him get to her head.

And Hermione tried really hard not to be disappointed when she didn't see him the rest of the day.

The ball was in an hour and Hermione was a wreck. Besides all of the feelings and doubts she was having before, now she had to deal with the school problems. Some of the decorations weren't ready, Hagrid's friends were late because there was a storm outside and there was a group of 2nd years crying because the girls cursed them for trying to slip them a love potion. It was almost time to get changed and Hermione was still dealing with some of the awful sores those girls left on a boy's face, while Madam Pomfrey was trying to separate the ones they glued together.

"You'll have scars for like a day, but you can still go to the ball of you want," She told the boy who was pouting.

"But Miranda rejected me, I don't have anyone!" He complained and Hermione sighed.

"Just go to Mcgonagall and she'll get you someone, alright? I have to go," She said waving to Madam Pomfrey and taking off. She had to take all the presents to the Owlerly to be delivered tomorrow and then get ready as fast as possible.

When she finished with the last owl, she sprinted towards her room and showered, dressed and did her hair in less than 15 minutes. She was already tired and the night was still so young. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. She liked how she looked, and that was the only thing that mattered. Her dress was a predictable red and gold, but it was a gift from her mother, who had no idea those were Gryffindor colors even though Hermione had told her many times, but she really wanted to wear it. Her hair was pretty much the same because she felt silly doing something different just for a ball and honestly, it was too much work.

She left her room with a knot in her stomach. What would Malfoy think? What would the rest think of them together? She could just picture the look on Mcgonagall's face.

From the second floor she looked down at the entrance hall to see most of the students gathered there. The boys were all in black and the girls in different colors. Hannah Abbot and Terry Boot actually made an attractive couple. She didn't see Malfoy, though, so she had to go down.

As she descended the stairs, she looked around trying to find him but he was nowhere to be seen. It looks like he wasn't there yet. Which was strange because in her experience, he was never late and she herself wasn't right on time. The doors to the Great Hall were already opening.

It was decorated beautifully with a wintery theme and the ceiling was charmed to make it look like it was snowing even though outside was raining horribly. Everybody started to make their way in, but she remained behind to wait for Malfoy. She began to fill up with dread. Why if he had backed out? Maybe he regretted having to go with her and was hiding in his room. Mcgonagall had charmed the common rooms to tell her if there was someone left behind, so no one could escape going to the ball, but maybe he had find a way around it. This could potentially be more humiliating than having to be partnered up by the professor.

Her nerves were reaching a peaking point when Malfoy appeared, running and red in the face.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," He apologized. "I lost track of time. Did you wait for too long?" He asked, catching his breath.

"It's okay. Let's just go," She said, walking towards the hall. He obviously didn't care about this a lot, so she wouldn't either.

"No, wait," He stopped her by blocking her way. "I have something for you,"

She looked at him, dressed sharp in all black, including the tie, with his hair perfectly messed up so it wouldn't look like he did anything to it, but it looked fancier than most days. He also smelled like some type of man cologne and was now smiling brightly.

"What?" She asked, trying not to sound too interested.

He reached both his hands behind his back and a small 'pop' sounded. He then reached forward with his right hand and was holding a small bouquet of yellow tulips. She smiled really wide despite herself and took them. She didn't know if they were magical flowers or not, but somehow they looked more beautiful than any tulip she had ever seen.

"You got these for Goyle, didn't you?" She joked and he nodded.

"He rejected me. Now they are yours," He responded and she laughed a little.

"Thank you," She said as he stepped next to her and took her arm in his.

"I did tell you I was the perfect partner for a ball," He reminded her and they walked together to the Great Hall.

When they stepped in, people were looking at them, at first to see who was late and then because it was them. Hermione blushed but Malfoy ignored them completely.

"Not bad. It's about half the size of the ballroom in my house. My mother is an expert decorator for these kind of things, but I guess they didn't do a bad job," He commented as he walked them to a table. Hermione was too preoccupied with everyone judging them to laugh at his pretentiousness.

Mcgonagall was suddenly rushing towards them.

"Miss Granger," She said in surprise. "And Mister Malfoy," She looked at him. "Is everything alright?" She asked with concern.

"Yes professor. Are you okay?" Hermione asked in turn with a frown.

"Oh yes. I…I just thought…seeing you two together here…are you sure you're feeling alright, Miss Granger?" She asked again, looking at Hermione in a funny way.

"Yes, I am," Hermione affirmed again and Mcgonagall took her hand.

"You don't have to do this, Hermione," She whispered. "If he's done something to you, you can tell me,"

Hermione noticed the way Malfoy was staring at the ground, his fists clenched and his face getting red again.

She took her hand back from the professor and took a step behind.

"No, professor," She spoke in a high and clear voice. "Malfoy didn't do anything to me. I chose to come with him and there's nothing wrong with that," She noticed the other students and professors were watching.

Mcgonagall nodded. "Very well. I'm sorry for assuming…excuse me," She said before leaving.

Hermione sighed and sat down. Malfoy did the same and within seconds, the band began to play.

Malfoy looked like he had calmed down, but he was still more serious faced than before.

"I'm sorry for that," She said in a small voice. Malfoy shook his head.

"No, it's not your fault. Forget it," He shrugged his shoulder, but continued to look at the floor.

She tried to think of something to talk about that would take his mind off that incident.

"What do you think of the music? They're from Hogsmade. I don't have a lot of experience with ballroom music, but I guess it could be worse," She commented and glanced at the band. They were simultaneously playing and drinking copious amounts of firewhiskey. That couldn't end well.

Malfoy raised his head. "Worse? Granger, they're completely off key,"

"Well, I'm not used to this kind of music. But maybe they aren't, either." She joked and he laughed. She felt funny and special when she made him laugh.

She placed the flowers on the table. "Do you want champagne?" She offered and he nodded. She poured two glassed from the bottle on the table and passed one to him. He took a sip and grimaced.

"What in the name of Merlin's beard is this?" He asked and placed the glass on the table.

"Oh yes, it's non-alcoholic. The professors didn't want children drinking the real thing, so they made Slughorn brew this. And now I don't think I want to try it," She smiled as she pushed hers away too.

"So the music is crap, the drinks are even worse and everybody thinks I Imperiused you to come to the ball with me. Great party," He said sarcastically and looked away.

"Hey," She reached and placed her hand over his without thinking, but regretted it the second he turned his head to look at her. His eyes were big and surprised and her stomach dropped. What made her think this was okay with him? She went to take her hand back but as soon as she moved, he turned his hand, palm facing up and held hers tightly.

"Let's dance," He said and stood up, her hand still in his.

"What? No, I don't really know how, with this music, remember?" She started to blush. No one else was dancing yet, she would look like a fool.

"Nonsense, Granger, I'm a very apt dancer, you just need to follow my lead," He pulled her as she frantically tried to think of an excuse.

"I will step over your feet and ruin your precious shoes, Malfoy," She warned.

"I don't care. I can't show you how much of a perfect ball partner I am without dancing," He retorted and pulled her some more. Hermione sighed and gave up. He looked more determined than she had ever seen him.

They stood in the middle of the ballroom. Malfoy let go of her hand, turned to face her and bowed. Hermione felt heavy, knowing all eyes were on them, but tried to act natural. Malfoy straightened himself and offered his hand. She placed her hand over his palm and he took it firmly, and then placed his other hand on her waist. Her breath got caught in her throat at the contact, and she had to force herself to remember what came next. She knew enough about this to know her other hand was supposed to go on his shoulder, and as soon as she placed it there, he began to move. She tried to follow his body, moving from side to side and eventually forming a circle. His posture was perfect, his feet moving in an invisible line she couldn't decipher, and his eyes on hers, always.

"You're not bad at this," She commented with a slight smile.

"I just told you we have a ballroom twice this side. What did you think we used it for? I have been dancing in formal balls since I could walk," He replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"I've never even been to a formal ball before this one," She said, trying to concentrate on not tripping.

"This still isn't exactly formal, but it's close. And I thought you had danced with Viktor Krum on our 4th year," He reminded her and she nodded.

"Yes, well, we danced the traditional Champions Dance for the first song, but then it was all jumping to the Weird Sisters so I don't think it exactly counts as a formal ball, either," She explained.

He seemed to consider her for a while, just staring at her face like he was meaning to tell her something.

"You looked very nice that day. I never would have admitted it, but you did. I think everybody in the school thought so too," He confessed and she blushed, again.

"I don't think everybody. And thank you," She told him as he pulled her a bit closer to his body.

"I remember that Nott was the one that saw you first, and he pointed at you. I tried to act cool because no one could know I thought Hermione Granger looked pretty, and then Pansy noticed we were staring and got upset and then back in our common room, Blaise commented that you didn't look too bad, but that he preferred the way the Weasley girl looked, and to this day we still tease him about that, especially since she's with Potter," He laughed a little at the memory and she was surprised but smiling.

"Blaise liked the way Ginny looked? I never would have imagined it, she was just 13 at the time,"

"Yes, but we were 14, it's not like she was a baby, Granger," He shrugged his shoulders.

"I know, it's just that Blaise always looked like an adult to me. All tall and serious, like the rest of us were kids," She explained and he nodded.

"Ah, yes, Blaise always played the 'mature' role. But I am just as tall as him, you know," He said a little defensively.

"Yes, now, but back then he was taller than most of the boys in our year. Well, except for Ron," She said.

"So, you like them tall, do you? Weasley, Blaise, Krum…" He trailed off with a teasing smile and she frowned.

"What? I never liked Blaise!" She defended.

"So what was all that 'tall, mature and serious'?" He teased her some more and she shook her head.

"That's just the way he is, isn't he? Doesn't mean I like him. You sound jealous that I didn't think of you as tall and mature," She teased back.

"I'm not jealous. I wasn't tall or mature. And I didn't care what you thought of me. Back then," He told her and they stopped dancing when the song was over. Another song began immediately after. A few more couples had joined the dancing by now.

"One more go?" He asked her and she nodded. They started dancing again, slower this time.

"This isn't so bad, I thought it'd be harder," She commented on the dancing.

"This music has a particularly basic and simple rhythm, it could get more complicated depending on the occasion of the ball. And it would be much nicer if the musicians weren't already half-way to passed out on firewhiskey," He noted, glancing at the band. Hermione laughed.

"This song, as it's much slower, means we do more spinning in one place, as opposed to moving in a circle like before. The feet don't separate as much between steps and the dancers traditionally aren't supposed to converse, it's frowned upon. But it's not like it matters here," He explained and she nodded, suddenly very aware of how close their moving bodies were. She couldn't find any words.

They danced without speaking for a while. She felt graceful and light, like she had forgotten all about the pressure and nerves she was having before. Everything seemed to be at peace for her now. She couldn't tell if Malfoy was staring at her because that's the polite thing to do when you're dancing with someone, or because he wanted to. But she didn't care, his eyes were beautiful and it was nice to see them this close, it made her feel important.

"You look very nice this time as well, you know," He told her and she didn't mind blushing this time.

"Thank you. You look nice too," She responded and he smiled.

"Still wish you could have come with Terry Boot instead?" He asked and she rolled her eyes.

"If you must know, you're more okay than him," She joked.

"That's good enough for me. Do you want to go sit down for a while?" He asked.

"Sure. I'll go to the restroom first, I'll see you at our table," She replied and they stopped dancing. Malfoy bowed one more time before letting her go and she felt completely giddy.

After an unfortunate meeting with some 5th year girls gossiping in the bathroom, she was back at the table and Malfoy had conjured some refreshments.

"One thing I'm sure I'm going to miss from this school is the food," He lamented as he drank some pumpkin juice.

"Don't you have elves to cook at your house as well?" She asked intrigued.

"Yes, but I don't think I'll be returning to the manor for long. I have my eye on this Potions Master internship, it's in London but I would like to have a place for myself instead of going back again," He said and she nodded. He must have experienced some disturbing things in that manor. She couldn't blame him.

"I didn't know you liked Potions. But you are good, right? At least, second best, if I remember correctly," She smirked and he sent her a glare without too much malice.

"We'll see who's second best at the end of this year. I've been studying much harder and…" He trailed off when a figure swooped in above them. She instinctively covered her head and Malfoy got closer to her, but they immediately realized who was responsible.

"Peeves!" She yelled at him. Malfoy sighed with relief.

"Mmmm, bad boy bad boy!" Peeves said in a singsong voice.

They tried to ignore him but he continued to float around them. Eventually he was floating upside down right on top of them, singing a song to himself.

"Go away, Peeves!" Hermione admonished.

"No, not yet! Kissy kissy now!" He sang and when Hermione looked up, he was holding a mistletoe between her and Malfoy's head. She tried to bat it away but he kept moving.

"Kissy kissy for the mistletoe!" He kept chanting and Malfoy looked bored, like he expected Peeves to pull something like this.

"Hermy-own-ninny kissy kissy bad boy!" He giggled and now Hermione was red from head to toe.

Malfoy looked at her and smiled. He leaned forward in his chair and started to get closer to her. Her heart skipped several beats as she realized what he was doing. The closer he got to her face, the more Peeves giggled and when he was close enough for her to feel his hot breath against her lips, he reached over his head and grabbed Peeve's mistletoe with a speed that could only belong to a seeker. He stood up and threw the mistletoe across the room. It landed on someone's soup and Peeves flew away towards it screaming.

"My mistletoe! My mistletoe! Bad boy this my mistletoe!" He lamented.

Hermione was laughing. "That was brilliant," She complimented him.

Malfoy shrugged. "I am not going to be missing him at all,"

They finished eating and decided to dance again. Even though it was pretentious and silly, she was really glad Mcgonagall had decided to have this ball. She really doubted Malfoy would have approached her if it hadn't been for this. And now after just a couple of days she felt like she had been friends with him her entire life.

They danced and danced, talking about past feuds with each other, laughing at each other's friends, and generally trying not to remember all the bad things that had occurred after their 6th year.

"What do you think Weasley will say after he finds out about us?" He asked and she felt her stomach drop at the use of the words 'us'. She tried to forget it, it didn't mean anything. He was just talking about them going to the ball together.

"I think he'll be upset, but after explaining everything I don't think it will be so bad. Same as Harry," She responded.

"And the girl Weasley?" He asked again.

"Ginny's got a bad temper sometimes…but it's still okay, I can handle them. Why do you ask?" She questioned back.

"It's just that people love to gossip and there's going to be a lot of gossip about us after tonight. I just wanted to see how you felt about it," He explained.

"It doesn't bother me. It's not like we're doing anything wrong. We're just dancing," She shrugged.

Malfoy nodded. "Alright. And how do you think Weasley's going to react when he finds out I took you to the Astronomy Tower after the ball?" He asked suggestively and she froze.

"Wha…what?" Her feet stopped moving and all the color drained from her face. What was he saying?

"I'm planning on taking you there in a moment. People are going to say all kinds of stuff about that. I'm picturing vividly Weasley's and Potter's face when they hear the rumors," He said almost in a dreamy voice.

She couldn't remember how to say any words. Why did he want to take her there? What was he expecting? Should she refuse? Why was her heart beating so wildly?

Malfoy laughed. "You look like a ghost, Granger. Are you scared of me?" He asked her and she managed to shook her head.

"Of course not. I'm never scared of you." She said after a moment and tried to calm herself.

"Relax. I just have a Christmas present for you and the owl delivering it will be at the Astronomy Tower at midnight," He glanced at his wrist watch.

"We've got about 20 minutes left. Let's get going," He stated and walked her out of the Great Hall.

They walked in silence up the stairs. She tried to think of what Malfoy could have gotten her, and then felt bad for not thinking of getting him anything.

"I didn't get you anything, you should have told me," She said when they were almost there.

"Don't worry about that. You can get me something expensive later to make up for it." He joked.

"Don't you already own absolutely everything that could possibly be bought?" She asked sarcastically.

"Almost. I could use a new quill," He said in a casual tone. She didn't know if it was a joke or not, but she made a mental note on it.

They reached the top and Malfoy opened the door. The storm had passed and only a few clouds remained. It was cold so he placed a few warming charms around them.

Malfoy took her hand and led her to one of the railings, overlooking the lake. He glanced at his watch and then at the sky. Nothing yet. Hermione was getting anxious and couldn't stop feeling Malfoy's hand on her own. When they were dancing it was normal, but this was much more intimate, as they didn't require to be holding hands here. He did it because he wanted to.

"Granger, have I told you that my father has connections everywhere?" He asked her and she nodded.

"I actually can't remember a moment when you haven't mentioned it," She said sarcastically and he shook his head. She was now thinking he had gotten her something really expensive and rare and she was fretting it. Why would he do such a thing? They have only been 'friends' for a couple of days.

"Well, yesterday I spent all day writing back and forth with him, and most of today as well. That's why I was almost late to the ball," He explained and she nodded.

He didn't explain further and she was left to wonder what on earth had Malfoy bought her.

After a minute of silence, a hoot was heard in the distance. She looked at the sky to see a tiny black dot approaching them. It was getting bigger and bigger until you could see the wings, and then the eyes, and then a large black owl was landing on Malfoy's shoulder. He didn't carry a package, just a scroll tied to its leg. Malfoy reached and untied the scroll. He patted the own on its head.

"Thank you, Lea. Now be a good girl and go to the owlery," He told her and the owl flew away.

Malfoy opened the scroll and began to read it. Hermione was directly in front of him so she couldn't see anything. What was happening?

Malfoy smiled a little and lowered the scroll. He handed it to Hermione. The writing was in a beautiful cursive. She began to read.

Greetings again my son,

As I told you on our previous letter, the arrangements have been made. We have been waiting the rest of the day for a legitimate verification so I could tell you properly about the results of our investigation.

I can now confirm this information:

My contacts have found Mr. and Mrs. Granger in the small town of Ballina, Australia this morning. The Ministry of Magic has been alerted and they should contact Miss Granger shortly. The search has been officially terminated.

I hope these news will be agreeable and that I was able to be of help, my son.

Your mother sends you her love and hopes you like your presents.

Merry Christmas,

Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione read the letter over and over again because she couldn't believe her eyes. She started to feel strange and disoriented, like in a dream. Her eyes swelled up with tears the fourth time she read it and she covered her mouth with her hand.

She looked at Malfoy, who was looking down back at her with a smile. She was shocked and overwhelmed, so he spoke first.

"I knew he was close with some Australian wizards, and I know the magical community still works better when there's connections and money involved, despite what the ministry wants to make us believe so…I explained the situation to him and within hours they already had a lead. Right before the ball he sent me a letter saying they were almost completely sure they had found them but didn't want to confirm anything until they were 100% sure so…now they are,"

His words registered on her brain but she could only feel right now. Feel the amazement, the happiness and the immense gratitude overflowing her body that she wasn't sure how to put into words. So she didn't.

She reached forward, both her hands grabbing his head and pulling him until she kissed him full on the lips. Malfoy was taken aback for a second, but then responded by taking her by the waist and crashing their bodies together. She was standing on her tiptoes and caressed his hair with her free hand while the other kept clutching the letter behind his neck and he kissed her like no one had before, with tenderness and firmness and this unfamiliar need. And she needed it too, needed to feel him and thank him and express everything that she had kept inside herself.

Hermione didn't know how long they had kissed for, but when they pulled apart it felt like it had been too short. She usually regretted being impulsive, but not right now. Not even when she noticed some of the wetness from her tears on his face. They smiled at each other.

"This is the best gift I've ever received…Thank you. Thank you, Draco," She told him in a small voice and he smiled one of the most honest smiles she had ever witnessed.

"You're welcome, Hermione," He replied. They were still so close that she could feel his words on her face and then he hugged her. She could have stayed like that forever.

"So…"He said while still hugging her. "Do you want to go back to the ball?"

She shook her head. "No," She pulled apart to look at him.

"No? Do you want me to walk you to your room, then?" He asked and she shook her head again.

"What do you want to do?" He asked again and she kissed him.

Again.

They stayed all night on the Astronomy Tower, talking, kissing and renewing the warming charms. He told her all about the letters to his father and how he had agreed to help because he had been regretting ruining Draco's life by dragging him into the war and letting his old ambitions destroy his family. Hermione told him about her fears that the memory charms couldn't be reversed and that if they could, maybe they'd never forgive her. They shared ideas and jokes and memories until the sun rose bright and pink in the horizon. They decided it was time to leave.

"There are going to be some wild rumors if someone sees us wandering around the castle with the same clothes we had on yesterday," He commented and she giggled. She was feeling lightheaded with happiness.

"Do you mind?" She asked him.

"Me? I'll be the champion who got Hermione Granger into bed. I'm sorry to say that girls have the worse end in these situations," He replied, holding her hand.

"I guess I have to handle it. They're just rumors anyway," She shrugged.

"What it they weren't? Would you mind then?" He asked with a slight smirk and she frowned.

"What? What do you...uh, how can that…" She mumbled confused.

"Oh no, not like that I mean…I meant…what if people saw us together, like in a real date. Would you mind?" His cheeks were getting a pink blush and she smiled.

"Do you mean to tell me this wasn't a real date?" She asked suggestively.

"Well, I suppose, but I didn't exactly ask you, did I? I just knew you would lose the bet," He noted and she giggled again. All of that seemed to have happened years away after last night.

"I would love to go with you. And I don't mind people, if you don't," She replied.

"I don't. I can't wait to see your friends' faces," He grinned.

"And I can't wait for Theodore and Blaise to take Pansy to the Hospital wing because she had a heart attack!" She joked.

"Oh Merlin, Pansy is going to want to destroy me," He realized.

"Are you scared of a little girl, Malfoy?" She teased him and she shrugged.

"Not scared exactly, but her Oppugno Jinx is the strongest I've ever seen…or felt," He grimaced as if remembering.

Hermione nodded, impressed. "Interesting. That is also my weapon of choice against idiot boys. Let's hope you don't have to find out if mine's better," She implied with a smirk.

"I hope so too," He smirked too as he pulled her closer and kissed her again. Hermione felt like she could never get tired of it.

He pulled away. "You go first in case Filch is around and he catches us together. I wouldn't want to spoil your perfect Head Girl reputation," He told her with one last kiss.

"You're just jealous you're not Head Boy," She laughed "Okay. I'll see you later. Merry Christmas, Malfoy,"

"I thought it was Draco, now," He said jokingly.

"Oh yes, it's hard to remember. Draco, Draco, Draco. I have to practice," She smiled and pecked his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione," He emphasized her name with a smile.

Hermione walked over to the door and looked back at him once more before leaving.

Draco remained in the tower for a while more, watching the sunrise and thinking that maybe this school year wouldn't be as horrible as he had imagined.

It was the 22nd of June and Hermione was in her room, packing. She was alone because everyone was outside enjoying a last game of Quidditch before leaving the castle and she thought this was the perfect moment to have some alone time with her favorite place on the world.

She lied on her bed while her clothes were folding themselves and she looked at the ceiling of her four-poster bed. She will never again lie in one of these beds. Never again sleep in these rooms or walk down these halls. This castle was her childhood and then more.

She finished packing everything and said a mental goodbye to the room. She usually told her roommates they were annoying and wouldn't let her study, but she was actually going to miss being here with them, trying to mute out all the gossiping but eventually learning some very interesting things about the other students. And they were mostly very nice to her, especially after everything they've been through.

Hermione walked down those stairs that were just for girls one last time and sighed as she looked around the common room. It was one of the coziest places she had ever been in and she wished she could take some of these magical armchairs with her. They were the best for reading by the fire. She levitated her trunks out of the room and in front of an arm chair. She sat down and manually checked her list of books to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. With a smile she picked up her copy of Hogwarts: A History. It was one of her favorite books. She opened it and secured inside was her Christmas present from Draco; the letter from his father.

Who would have thought that one day she would be making sure nothing happened to a letter written by Lucius Malfoy? The thought almost made her snort out loud. But it was one of her most valuable possessions.

She thought back to that day and how it had been a turning point for her. Just three days after it she was hugging her parents for the first time since she had sent them away. And they remembered her too. She finally felt like she was back to her old self, and it was all thanks to the most unlikely person in the magical world.

For a while during the school year she thought she and Draco wouldn't make it. Ron stopped speaking to her for about two weeks when he found out, Harry said he was trying to understand but he didn't, really, and Ginny almost cursed Draco's bits off. And they all got terribly offended when she told them that Draco's friends were more understanding that they had been. Which was true. They all made an effort not to be mean to her, expect for Pansy, but Draco said she was slowly making progress.

And everybody else around the school treated her like she was a runaway from St. Mungo's Mental Facilities. Even the professors were weary around her, and she was pretty certain everyone, including Draco himself, was waiting for the moment she would break it off with him. But it didn't happen. And slowly but surely everybody began to trust her again and try to wrap their minds around the idea that she was serious about him and they would just have to deal with that.

She jumped slightly when the common room door opened. She placed the book back in her trunk and Draco walked in with an annoyed look on his face.

"That fat cow always makes some pretty insulting comments every time I tell her the password. I'm glad this is probably the last time I'll have to," He complained as he walked over to her.

"It's not as bad as the noise that the tapestry of Salazar Slytherin makes every time I enter your common room. I think it's trying to spit at me," She commented as he sat in her armchair, squeezing her uncomfortably to the edge.

"Hey! Get your own, I was here first!" She tried to push him but he wouldn't budge.

"What did we discuss about sharing with your boyfriend?" He asked in a bored voice.

"That I would do it as long as you weren't claiming everything as your own!" She insisted and he sighed dramatically.

"Alright just come here," He said as he picked her up by the waist and placed her on his lap.

"Better?" He asked smirking and started kissing her shoulder.

"Worse. You're not as cushy as these chairs," She teased and he continued to kiss her, now up to her neck. She giggled.

"But you are. Did you finish packing?" He mumbled, his face now buried in her hair.

"Yes. Oh and the International Confederation of Wizards sent me the letter, I have to be there by next month," She commented happily and his head shot up.

"Next month? So you basically have no summer break!" He complained and she patted his head.

"I know…sorry. But it's not like we won't see each other…" She said trying to cheer him up.

"Have you thought about my offer? The apartment is really close to your work, you said so yourself, and the bed is really big and wonderful," He mumbled the last part in her ear and she smiled.

"I know, you do have good taste, the place is beautiful," She agreed. "You know, Harry said I can have my own room at Grimmauld Place if I want,"

Draco's jaw dropped. "Oh no, oh no, If you're actually telling me you're going to live with Potter and not me," Hermione interrupted him before he could get more worked up.

"Draco! Calm down I am not going to go live with Harry. I was just mentioning it," She smiled because he was really cute when he got jealous. Especially of Harry.

"Oh," He said but pouted a little anyway.

"I was thinking about staying with my parents. I haven't been there with them in a while and I think it's a good idea and…" She trailed off but Draco shook his head.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain, if you want to stay there, I think it's a good idea too. And anytime you want to come for a sleepover..." He pulled her closer and kissed her. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeper. He buried one hand in her hair while the other caressed the side of her body, eventually stopping just at the side of her breast, his thumb brushing it every time he moved his hand. She trembled and he groaned deep in his throat. She pulled away by an inch.

"How about an 'end of school' sleepover?" She asked, completely out of breath.

"How fast do you think we can make it to London?" He asked in a rough voice and she smiled and kissed him again.

"The Hogwarts Express leaves in 30 minutes. We should probably get going to Hogsmade Station," She noted.

"Do you think you can convince Mcgonagall to floo there from her office?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh no, this is the last time I'll get on the Hogwarts Express, I can't miss it!" She exclaimed and he sighed.

"Alright…let's at least get a compartment to ourselves," He smirked and she wondered how she used to hate that smirk so much.

They got off from the armchair and Hermione took a last look around.

"I'm going to miss this," She sighed sadly and he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"I will admit these chairs are better than ours. Maybe I'll get one like that for the apartment," He commented.

"Oh, get two!" She exclaimed happily. "I'll be over all the time!"

"I should have known that the way to make you come live with me instantly would be having a replica of the Gryffindor's common room in the apartment," He said sarcastically.

"Don't be silly, you'll die of a migraine within a week. And all of your friends will leave you," She joked.

"I would leave first. You'd have to live there by yourself," He told her and then held her hand. He started pulling her towards the door. She was thankful he was there with her, she felt sad to leave, but also happy to be leaving with him.

She levitated her trunks so they followed them outside. They exited the room with one final look and the door closed behind them. She said goodbye to the Fat Lady and then they descended the stairs. This castle was so beautiful. She tear up a bit. Draco noticed but didn't say anything. Even if he didn't show it exactly, she knew he was sad to be leaving too. They walked all the way to the Entrance Hall in silence and she couldn't stop looking around, like when she was there as an eleven year old. She knew she could visit, but it wouldn't be the same. Draco opened the door. They looked at each other.

"Thank you," He said, a small smile on his lips.

"Thank you," She repeated, her eyes filled with tears.

Draco held her hand even tighter. They left the castle behind.

"Oh and in the morning I can start teaching you how to cook," Hermione tried to cheer up as she dried the tears off her face.

"Oh yes…about that, I think my mother may or may not have sent me a house elf as a house warming present…" He cringed at the look on her face.

"What!?" She exclaimed.

"We can fight about it later, first we need to find a compartment where I can snog you senseless until we arrive at London," He said with a charming smile. She melted a little inside.

"Alright…but I am not having a house elf!" She answered without any malice and he frowned.

"I thought you weren't living with me," He reminded her and she blushed a little but shook it off.

"Not right this second, no…" She confessed and he hugged her tightly.

She hugged him back, inhaled his scent and imagined waking up next to him.

And for the first time in a long time, she felt hopeful for the future.

The End.


End file.
